Furniture glide



July 19, 1949. W, L TRAFTON I 2,476,436

FURNITURE GLIDE Filed Sept. 25, 1947 WARREN TRAF'TON: im wwf PM Patented July 19, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNITURE GLIDE I Y. Warren L. Trafton, Detroit, Mich., assignor to 3 United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, j Mass., 'acorporaton of Massachusetts "Application september 23, V1mm-smalNo.'175,701 1 The present invention relates to furniture glides, ysuch as are employed in the open ends of tubular metal furniture legs, for example chair legs, table legs and the like, and aims generally to improve and simplify existing glides.

A primary object of the invention is the provision 4of a two-part furniture glide of rugged construction which may be economically constructed and readily applied to tubular metal furniture parts.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a Consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a View of a fragmental portion of a metal furniture leg, shown in section, and illustrating in side elevation my improved glide applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but viewing the glide in end elevation;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the glide; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of the glide as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, a tubular metal part 5, which may be a leg of a chair, table or like article of furniture, is adapted to be closed at its lower open end by a glide IE! constructed in accordance with the present invention. The part 5 may be of any conventional tubular metal construction, either seamless or welded tubing of circular or rectangular cross section, as is customarily used in the construction of metal furniture.

The glide comprises a metal cap portion I of bowl-shaped cross section having a convexed floor-engaging surface II and an inwardly directed tube-engaging and supporting annular rim I2. The cap member is preferably formed of sufficiently heavy stock to support the weight in use without deformation. Because of its annular cup-shaped construction, it may be formed of relatively thin and light Weight stock while possessing suilcient resistance to deformation under relatively heavy loads.

The cap member IIJ is adapted to be secured in operative relation to a piece of tubing, for example a metal chair leg, by means of an anchor member, preferably of heavier stock than the cap, and integrally united thereto and frictionally engaging and gripping the inner peripheral walls of the tubing 5.

In the illustrated embodiment, the anchor member is formed of a cup-shaped bushing I -3 claires. (C1. M4125' drawn from a single piece of stock and having a tubular body portion or barrel I6 closed at one end by a bottom Awall I1. The open end of the barrel I6 is provided with integral wings I8 bent reversely from the Walls of the barrel and extending in divergent relation thereto. These wings terminate short of the rim I2 of the cap and present relatively stiff, though somewhat resilient, wings or flanges, the major width of which, at the terminal ends, is in excess of the internal diameter of the tubing in which the anchor is to be fitted. If desired, the wings I8 may be curved transversely to conform with the curvature of the tubing 5.

The wings I8 preferably are substantially the same width as the diameter of the barrel I5 though they may be narrower or wider as may be required of the installations in which the glide is used. Preferably they are disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the barrel I5 so as to engage the walls of the tubing 5 in diametrically opposed areas.

The anchor member I5 is securely attached to the cap member I0, preferably being integrally joined thereto, as by spot Welding, at 20, the end wall I"I of the barrel to the inner face of the cap bottom Wall II. It is, of course, advantageous to position the anchor member I5 centrally of the cap member I0 at the time of joining the two parts together.

In applying the glide to the open end of a piece of metal tubing, for example a metal furniture leg, the end of the anchor member is readily positioned Within the tubing until the walls of the tubing are engaged by the divergent wings I8. The glide may be driven home in the tubing by applying a blow on the outer bottom wall II of the cap I0, as by a hammer, causing the wings I8 to yield inwardly. In the assembled position of the glide, the end of the tubing Walls bears upon the supporting rim I2 of the cap member and the inner walls of the tubing are gripped by the tensioned wings I8. The anchor member I5, being of relatively heavy stock resists deformation in use and prevents the glide from becoming accidentally displaced from the end of the tubing.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, I do not intend to be restricted to the specific details thereof, as the scope of the invention is best defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A glide for attachment to a tubular metal part comprising a cap member having a support-engaging surface and a tubular part-supporting rim in spaced relation to said surface, an anchor member comprising a, tubular sheet 'metal part secured to said cap member and disposed normal thereto, and divergent part-engaging wingsrof arcuate cross section integral with a remote end of said tubular sheet metal part and extending-toward said cap. y

2. A glide adapted for attachment to a tubular metal furniture leg and the like comprising a sheet metal cap having an arcuate bottom andv "f an inwardly turned leg-supporting rim insuper- -posed relation thereto, an anchor member of heavier sheet metal stock ,comprising atubular part having a closed bottoir'rat-v one-end-securedy to said cap, the opposite end of said-tubular part-4 being open and provided with downwardly extending divergent wings adapted for frictionally engaging an inner wall of a tubular leg in=whichsaid glide is inserted.

3` A glide adapted for attachment to aV tubular neta-l furniture leg and theylike comprising a sheetV metal cap having anV arcuate bottom and WARREN L. TRAFION.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le. of this patent:

Y UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1',329;585 Diss Feb. 3, 1920 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 596,822 France Aug. 1f?,r 1925 

